Half Marathon Trainers

Race Reports (Read 1729 times)

hog4life


    Skidaway Island Half Marathon
    April 4, 2014
    Savannah, Georgia

     

    This is a week late, but better late than never. This is also a prelude to Robert’s Epic FE thread. Early in the year, I had wanted this to be a PR attempt because I knew the course would be flat. As life has it sometimes, I was derailed with my training to reach this goal. I also have another goal for the end of April that is unrelated to this event, yet has plenty to do with running, more about that later.

    On the weekend of March 28, I run a 25k trail race that beat me up a little. I knew this was not a super smart thing to do if I was to shoot for a PR on this half, plus, training sucked. I also did an 11 mile run just 2 days after the 25k; this also was not smart to help the PR attempt, but was important to the upcoming event at the end of April.

    So, since everything had gotten derailed, and I knew a PR wasn’t in the cards, I thought I would just run at tempo pace and see if I could hold  on. I was perfectly on target through 8 miles, then faded and struggled just to keep moving to the end. My splits are terrible, which I really don’t care about. What I did care about, is that I didn’t walk, except for the last water stop around mile 11. Just after the fade started in mile 9, I kept thinking about the end of April event coming up, and knew that I was going to feel this same way, so I had a pretty good mental thing going on to test me. The course was beautiful and very flat, so I'll attempt another PR next year, as long as I don't do the 25k the week before, haha. Since I like cold weather much better than warmer, I'll add that the heat was very tough for me. It was 65 degrees at the start with a strong breeze that actually made it feel cool, and maybe 75 when I finished.

     

    Here’s the splits for the split keepers
    Miles 1-8 are 8:47, 8:53, 8:53, 8:54, 9:00, 8:49, 8:59, 9:07
    The fade….miles 9-13.1 are 9:24, 9:39, 9:44, 9:40, 10:04, and the last .1 was at 8:42 pace

     

    My finish time ended at 2:01:25, which was good for 8/16 AG, and 97/373 OA. I will say that this was my 15th half which includes the two 25k’s. Most of my times HM times are just over the 2 hour mark, so I wasn’t really disappointed.

     

    On April 24-26, I will be running an event called, The Grand Viduta 3 Day Stage Race. This is the end of a series of trail races, that upon finishing, you get an award for being a “Trail Boss”. I’m not sure what the exact award is, but you definitely will have earned some bragging rights. It will be run on the trails of Monte Sano Mountain outside of Huntsville, Alabama. Friday is 13 miles, Saturday is 16 miles, and Sunday is 14 miles, for a total of 43 miles.

    Thanks for reading. I want to give a very special shout out to our dear friends, Robert, Angie, and TJ. Thank you for the hospitality, we love ya’ll.

    Here’s a bunch of pictures to go along with the one’s Robert posted.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    TJ will always be my hero!!!!

    hog4life


      Oops, that didn't work. I'll fix it when I get home.

       

      Try this link  http://www.runningahead.com/groups/BF_and_Beyond/forum/20b186e3e42a4202856b523ef1bbe84a/resume#focus


      From the Internet.


        an amazing likeness

          Wallis Sands Half Marathon RR

           

          You've now run the southern 13 miles of the Eastern States 20-miler.  See you next March in Kittery for the full 20?

          Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.


          From the Internet.

             

            You've now run the southern 13 miles of the Eastern States 20-miler.  See you next March in Kittery for the full 20?

             

            Ooh maybe! I'll look into it!

            hog4life



              an amazing likeness

                I have to admit with some chagrin that I just haven’t had the motivation to write up any race reports recently. Worse than recently, it’s actually a case of none for this year at all. I did run what I expect will be my last half marathon of 2015 yesterday, I think I’ll take a stab a summarizing my half marathon races for the year…

                 

                 

                April 4 “Race the Runways” half, Brunswick ME – this race takes place on a former Naval Air Station which closed in one of the military base reduction rounds. Being at an airport means it’s flat and usually windy, with weather than can range from snow to rain to early spring, or all of them at once. This year was 40F and a stiff headwind for the sections on the runways, but not too bad in the other sections. I had the flu for days leading into the race. Hard day's work. Flu took its toll with low energy and queasy stomach. Wind took its toll and sapped the last out of the legs between miles 7-8. Decided to walk ~30secs at each mile marker from 5mi on, then from last walk break at the 11mi marker pushed hard mentally to not stop again. Real unsteady after finish line due working so hard in the last section, spent a few minutes sitting in ambulance at the finish area to be sure I wasn't going to pass out. Time of 1:49:44 would turn out as slowest of the year.

                 

                Lonely on the runways for the leaders...

                 

                 

                April 12 “Great Bay Half”, Newmarket NH – Motto of this race is “These legs conquered the hills of Great Bay”. It is a tough little nugget in that it is constantly hilly, but there’s really only a few tough hills that make you mutter “geez” as you’re working them. After a quick loop through downtown (an old mill town, now primarily college students and staff from UNH), the course takes you down 4 miles of dirt road – which can be good or bad, depending on how wet or frozen things are – then loops around the scenic Great Salt Bay to a downhill finish on the main road into town. There’s always some good, offbeat entertainment on the course – this year that included a guy on rollerblades playing violin, and a belly dancing troop (they’re regulars). Beautiful, stunning early spring day of bright sun and warm temps – way warmer (20F+) than normal, meant it was the day to run strong but leave some in the tank for the fade to come from the unseasonable warmth. Given training downtime, I wanted to run a 1:45 and ended up posting a 1:46:37.

                 

                Downhill start in front of the mills...

                 

                Pass the belly dancers at mile 10...

                 

                 

                May 9 “Big Lake Half”, Alton NH – this race is along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, a large lake in NH surrounded with camps and summer homes. The early May date means most of these haven’t opened yet, so it has a bit of ghost town feel. This was my second time running this race, so I had some idea of the course – it starts at a school and follows some rolly-polly roads for a few miles, then a long, steady uphill to mile 7-ish as you climb with the lake on your right. Low clouds and dark skies this year meant we actually ran into the clouds; cold and damp. I used what I’d call a “John Deere” approach of steady effort - chug..chug..chug – let the pace be whatever it is, just keep the effort at a sustainable level. The course then plunges downhill on another road, giving up all the elevation you gained, and returns through beautiful lakeside homes with lots of rollers. A big climb at 9 is tough, then it’s fairly flat to the finish as you rejoin the road back towards the start. (Lollipop shaped course) I liked what I was able to do in the final 5K, running each mile faster: 7:45, 7:33, 7:25. Posted a 1:42;40 time and was surprised as heck to get an AG 3rd place, winning a neat little bottle of NH maple syrup in a custom race decanter! Pretty pleased with myself.

                 

                Drive 2 hours to NH. Pay $65. Run 13 miles. Win a little bottle of maple syrup = yippee!

                 

                 

                June 7 “Covered Bridges Half”, Woodstock VT – this is a point-to-point course that winds alongside a river through 3 small towns. It is one of my favorite half marathon courses. Race is hard to get into, filling in minutes when registration opens – so you never know from year to year if it will make your running calendar. This was a goal race for me, and I used the Big Lake Half to test where I’m at in terms of half marathon fitness.

                 

                A first for me was running with no Garmin, as it was dead (battery discharged) when I turned it on race morning -- so ran by feel and pace feedback from a few split clocks on course at 5, 8 & 10mi. Also bugged a few runners nearby who had GPSs to get some split info when I was near someone who didn’t have headphones.

                 

                Cool morning: 42F leaving the hotel, and plenty chilly waiting at Suicide Six in the porta-potty lines. Brilliant sun, no wind, temps climbed into the high 60s -- perfect weather!

                They bus you from parking near the finish to the start, and the organization is just amazingly well done. I like how their race FAQ says “we’ve being doing this for 30 years, we’ve got it down, we’re not changing it for you…”.

                 

                Race starts on narrow (1.5 lane) country road at a ski area and was really crowded this year -- worse than past years. The pacers (new this year) jumped into start area at the last minute and were way up front, so lots of runners were sort of anxious and starting pushing through the crowd to get up to their pacer. The opening 3 miles were brutally jammed up because when runners did catch up to their pacer they stopped and added to the rolling roadblock. By about 3mi as we're winding through the town of Woodstock, things settled down.

                Ran even effort at what I think were about 7:40 miles from 5-8, then eased up the steep hill at 8, even power walking a bit up the hill (planned). Tried to pick up on the downhill from 8-10 and then worked a bit on the last climb from 10-11. Then steady to the finish at what felt like 7:35-ish miles. Not much left in the legs from 12 on in, and I could feel a few toes on my right foot getting really beat up. Left heel was howling as well – I’ve been fighting Achilles pain for months.

                Summary: great weather, fantastic course, crowded start, lots of mental energy to run w/out good pace feedback. Posted a 1:41:55. Solid day.

                 

                Lots of the course is dirt roads along the river...

                 

                 

                Through the Woodstock VT covered bridge..

                 

                 

                July 11 “Old Port Half”, Portland ME – I’ve run this race all 5 times it’s been held. It was created to take advantage of an opening in the area race calendar after July 4th and before the dominant Beach-to-Beacon (Joan Benoit’s race) the 1st weekend of August. For the first 2 years, it was primarily a local’s event, but the RD has turned it into a music festival, lobster bake event that happens to have a 5K and half marathon. It’s usually brutally hot and humid, and in the past 2 years there have been problems with the course – long by a good 0.3mi one year, and short the next year for the front 200 runners as we were misdirected by a course worker. So, with some dread, I upped again this year to keep my streak of having running it every year alive.

                 

                I don’t recall all that much about this race. It was hot (at least for us New Englanders), but not brutal. I picked an effort that I expected would work ok for the course and temps, knowing that the second half of the course is all sun exposed. In general, I ran 20 sec/mi slower today than I planned I would. But when I crossed the finish, I couldn't have run another mile at that time; my calf were starting to cramp a bit, I had probably lost 3-4 pounds despite taking water at nearly every station. I ran my second slowest half of the year, enjoyed the beer tent afterward, and called it a day. Course was accurate this year!  Posted a 1:48:37 which was still good enough for to be top 15%.

                 

                Start at the State Pier, run to the West end, then back the East end, then around Back Cove, and back to the State Pier...it's a tour of Portland ME...

                 

                 

                 

                Oct 4 “Maine Marathon” half – This event is the dominant fall goal race for many runners in southern Maine. This was my 8th time running this race; it was my first half marathon in 2007. It is an out-and-back course and the marathon, marathon relay and half use the same start and opening 6 miles, until the half runners turn and head back and the lonely marathoners continue on up the road to their turnaround. The course has a good “flow” to it with a mix of ocean views, neighborhoods, some hills and lots of spectator zones. Well marked and marshalled every year. A good number of marathon maniacs/half fanatics show up, as there is a marathon in NH the day before, and they can get 2 states in one weekend.

                 

                I came into this race undertrained after battling hamstring and Achilles problems all through August and September. I’d only done 2 runs over 10mi since the Old Port Half in early July, and had taken a full 10 days off in August before getting back to more steady training late in September.

                 

                It was a bright sunny fall day. Chilly at the start with 40F and a stiff north breeze, but warmed to low-50s early on -- which was perfect because the north headwind was a tailwind on the return.

                 

                The only goal I set for the day was to run even all the way -- to not outrun my current fitness level and get into a death march for the last 5K, but also to not have it be just a long, tempo effort -- wanted to work; but find the pace which would work all the way. Was a bit anxious due to really light miles and no long runs in the past 4-6 weeks. I did a pretty good on the even effort and splits...39:32 for 1st 5mi (7:55/mi), 38:55 for 2nd 5mi (7:48/mi), and 24:41 for the final 5K+ (3.2mi actually) for 7:43/mi.  Miles 12 and 13 were dead even 7:44s, so no fade.

                 

                At the end, coming into the finish chute for the last 50 yards or so, the woman in front of me looked like she was hurting and starting to cramp up - I backed off a bit to let her keep the position (it seems silly to me to push passed someone you haven't raced at all in the last few feet), but she stopped early!  There was an announcer chip mat about 50ft before the finish and she stopped as soon as she hit that early mat. I yelled "no!, keep going!" which startled the crap out of her, and she re-started, but I wasn't waiting for her.

                 

                Posted a 1:43:15, which I’ll take as a positive after all the leg problems and low training miles.

                 

                You do not want to be outrun by the running Moose guy:

                 

                 

                Oct 25 “White Mountain Milers Half”, North Conway NH – Folks have told me about how much they enjoy this event, so I’ve been wanted to get this race on my calendar for a few years, but have always had a conflict of some sort that kept me away. With the injuries I’ve been fighting from summer still nagging, I didn’t dare pre-register and loose another race entry fee to a DNS.

                 

                Race morning was cold (35F), windy and raining steady – let’s call it “not ideal”. But the forecast for the area of the race 70mi west was the rain would be ending early morning, so I chanced it and set out, only to have the rain get harder the closer I got. But, the forecasters had it right and by race start time it was down to a drizzle with concrete grey skies starting to lighten in the southwest. There was a nasty breeze of 15-25mph however.

                 

                Daily runs had been ok, if not pretty good, so I expected to run a better time than I had 2 weeks early. But that didn’t happen.

                 

                For the opening 4 miles, I could tell I was working too hard for the pace, and just never felt comfortable or dialed-in. Tried to just latch onto another runner who looked steady, tune out my worries, and just run. But each time I did this, my pacer slowly pulled away.

                 

                Shortly after a water stop at 9mi, it really hit home that I couldn’t make it to the finish at the effort I was putting out. One leg’s quad was cramping and the hamstring was painful at times, and the other leg’s abductor and groin was starting to get seriously painful. So I dialed back the effort to something that felt sustainable – this turned out to be about 15 or 20 secs/mi slower; I was able to run those splits to from 9mi the finish.

                 

                Course was as good as I’d heard – once we left town itself it was a lovely country run through farms, a covered bridge, rolling countryside. Two big thumbs up.

                 

                Posted a 1:44:35, about 2-3 minutes off what I had expected. Nice event, I’ll be back next year.

                 

                The White Mountains lined the course, but fortunately we never left the foothills...

                 

                 

                Nov 8 “Seacoast Half”, Portsmouth NH – ran this yesterday, posted a 1:41:49. I’ll come back and edit and update this entry shortly.

                Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

                hog4life


                  I completed my first 50k in a time of 7:44:49. It was 31.2 miles with 2400’ of elevation climb. I finished 62/91 OA. There were no AG stats, but who gives a crap, I finished! Just for stats though, there were 140 people registered for the race, 106 that started, and 15 DNF.


                  This finish time was acceptable to me, because my goal was just to finish and see what the “ultra” world of races is like. The camaraderie of the ultra trail runners is extraordinary!

                   

                  This was the first race in a challenge event called the Huntsville Grand Slam. Here’s how the races line up;
                  1. 11/18 - Dizzy Fifties 50k, held at Monte Sano State Park
                  2. 12/09 - Rocket City Marathon, downtown Huntsville
                  3. 12/31 - Recover From the Holidays 50k, held at a running park
                  4. 01/27 - Mountain Mist 50k, held at Monte Sano State Park


                   I had signed up for this challenge back in 2015, and ruptured my Achilles tendon just 2 weeks prior to that first race. I was running about 40-45 mpw and was looking for 50 when I got injured. After the injury, I re-adjusted my thought process about trying to accomplish this 119.2 mile challenge. I basically went from running 6-7 days per week, to 2-3 days per week, getting maybe 25 mpw. I’m getting older, and at 56, my old self was telling me to slow down a bit, and take more time for recovery to let myself heal.

                   

                  This race was a 10.4 mile loop, circling it 3 times. There was an aid station at mile 4.6 that had coke, water, Gatorade, candy, and chips. And then there was an aid station at the start/finish area. This was kind of cool, because you could actually bring your own aid, change of clothes, etc. The first section before the aid station, is very rocky, sometimes steep, covered with roots, muddy spots(although much dryer than normal due to low rainfall), and all are single track trails. The section after that first aid station, is much more flat, very few rocks, and wider trails mixed with a few parts of single track. The temp was 64 degrees at the start, very windy, cloudy, calling for rain, and 75 degrees when I finished. It only sprinkled a few times and never “poured” like they were calling for.

                   

                  I finished the first loop in 2:01:23. I started out with a few of my buddies that are trail running experts compared to me. I hung with them for a bit then I fell off the pace. I took a spill around mile 8.5 or 9, and this was on the flat section. There was a small rock covered by leaves, and I took my eye off the trail for just a split second to look across this nice view. Always look down on the trail! When I come across the finish line, someone yelled out, “Oh cool, first blood on the day”. I carried a handheld, drank 22 oz of Nuun, ate a Stinger waffle bar, and a Gu, and grabbed some coke at the first aid station.

                   

                  I finished loop 2 in 2:30:39. At the start/finish aid station, I grabbed my other handheld that had water. I took another Gu(or Cliff gel) with me. I was sweating profusely by the end of the 1st loop, and it caught up to me. I started cramping like a MOFO around mile 15. I took 22 oz of water, and more coke at the aid station. I felt like that I had hydrated properly the 2-3 days leading into the race, but maybe not! I struggled badly at times with the cramps forcing me to walk, and sometimes stopping to stretch. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to finish. The race had a 9 hour cutoff, so I was trying to crunch some numbers.

                   

                  I finished the 3rd and final loop in 3:12:47. At the aid station after the second loop, I talked to a few people to tell them I was cramping, and was eating some pizza, chips, pretzels, but couldn’t find any salt tabs. So I started this last loop with about 4.5 hours before the cutoff. This whole loop was run when I could, and walk when I was cramping. Because of the cramps and walking, people started to pass me. Somewhere around mile 25, a lady came by and offered me some salt, this helped, but only for a few minutes. I think if there was more salt, it would have helped. About 30 minutes later, another runner came by that offered me some salt tabs. She said to take 2, but she dropped one on the ground, and I grabbed that one too, and then she gave me one for later. So I chewed up 3 tabs, and put the fourth in the remaining of my water bottle. I also carried both handhelds after the second loop, one with Gatorade, the other with water. I had them almost empty by the half way aid station, and I had them topped off while there. They were empty by the time I finished.

                   

                  I learned a few things during this race. Need to load up on electrolytes a week or two prior to these long, hot races. I also need to carry more fluids during these long, hot races. I suspect I was partially dehydrated is why I was cramping, so I’ll prepare better, and plan better for the next 3 races! I had to pee just a few times within the race starting and the first 1 hour, but didn't pee again until after the race!

                   

                  Thanks for reading! Here’s a few pics.

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                  There's several switch backs in this area to get up to the top of the tree line.

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                   

                  Coming into the finish line

                  Fredford66


                  Waltons ThreadLord

                    April Fools Half Marathon, Atlantic City, NJ 4/25/21

                     

                    The course is almost a pure out-and-back starting and ending on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, the only deviation being the southbound portion exits the boardwalk a few blocks north of where the return leg gets back on the boardwalk.  I ran this course in 2018 and dealt with the same storm that made Des Linden a legend at the Boston Marathon a day later, only for us the wind started while we were southbound so we didn’t notice that a 30 mph gale was blowing until we turned around and headed back.  I wilted in the wind that year and finished in 2:05:36.

                    All week before the race this year, the forecast called for rain and strong winds, though warmer than 2018 with winds topping out at 20 mph rather than gusting to 40 mph.  I got lucky when the rain ended just before the start (except for a light drizzle) and the wind was more of intermittent gusts rather than a steady wind blowing the whole time.

                     

                    Miles 1–3; 8:27, 8:36, 8:35

                    I was in the third wave, starting at 8:20.  With less than 5 minutes to go, hardly anyone was up by the start line, so I moved forward.  With about a minute to go, a bunch of serious-looking guys showed up and lined up at the start mat in racing stances.  The horn went off and we were on our way.  My plan was to run an 8:35 – 8:40 pace to the turnaround and then see what I could do coming back and running into the wind.  I got sucked into the excitement of my first race start in months and went out way too fast, but soon settled down into my pace.  After a few miles I started warming up and pushed up the sleeves of my long sleeved shirt.  Around the same time, I noticed a woman in front of me take off her jacket and tie it around her waist.  Her pace seemed about the same as mine as I neither gained on her nor did she pull away.  I was mostly being passed by other people who started in the same wave as me, but I was determined to run my race.

                     

                    Miles 4-6; 8:37, 8:36, 8:38

                    I was able to keep my pace around my target.  As we came off the boardwalk around mile 3½, the woman with the jacket around her waist seemed to slow down a bit and I caught up with her just as a device she was carrying announced an average pace of 9:27.  I commented that I hoped that was way off and she replied she’d started it about 6 minutes before the race start, so it was way off.  We got to talking a bit and I learned the race was her 41st in her goal to run a half in all 50 states.  We continued chatting intermittently and were able to help each other stay on pace and eat up the miles of a long, boring stretch of straight road.  By this point I was starting to pass people more often.

                     

                    Miles 7-9; 8:42, 8:44, 8:42

                    We hit the turnaround and felt the full force of the wind.  I could feel my running partner was being slowed by the wind and I tried to keep up our pace in the face of the wind.  Eventually, she said she was going to drop back, so I was on my own again.  I resolved to keep up a decent pace as best I could but not waste energy fighting the strongest gusts of wind.  This portion was all on the street and was the most crowded with northbound (return trip) runners sharing with the southbound runners.  Foot traffic was heaviest at this point, but for the most part not a problem.  The wind was at its most constant along this part and was sapping my energy.  I was passing more people and only got passed by one couple during this stretch.

                     

                    Miles 10-12; 8:42, 8:46, 8:45

                    Back on the boardwalk just after mile 9 and with that, the wind changed.  Rather than the constant force it was earlier, it became more a pattern of gusts and calm moments.  I’d done the math in my head and knew I could get a PR if I kept my pace under 8:50 for the rest of the way.  That was easier said than done.  I was really feeling tired at this point.  The gusts of wind would slow me down well below an 8:50 pace and I was occasionally slower than 9:00.  When the wind hit, it would slow me almost immediately, but it would take me a while to fight back to a sub-8:50 pace.  All my training really bore fruit here.  Contrary to three years ago when I just faded in the face of the wind, this time I had the strength (physical and mental) to keep pushing, to keep fighting back every time the wind slowed me down.  I was hurting, but I knew I could keep going.  I continued overtaking people and the only ones passing me were the faster members of the waves that started after I did.

                     

                    The last 1.1 miles; 8:40, 8:01

                    I had a few moments of doubt as I finished the 12th mile, but I was able to push through them;  I was able to fall back on my training and keep going.  As the finish line came into sight, I even managed to pick up the pace, though I had no real kick.  I crossed the line with a 44 second improvement on my old PR.  I went over to greet my family, who took one look at my soaking wet shirt and declined to hug me.  I hung around the finish a little while and saw the fellow I’d chatted with in the corral before the race finish just under his goal of 2:00.  I also got to see my running partner from the middle miles cross the line and we exchanged congratulations.

                     

                    Comparing this race to the one from three years ago shows how much I’ve grown as a runner.  I’ve learned to train better, to run better, and how to keep going when my body wants to slow down.  I feel stronger in body and mind.  Despite the weather, I was able to stick to my race plan and get a payoff from the past months of training.

                    5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 
                    10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)

                    Upcoming races: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27

                     

                    Fredford66


                    Waltons ThreadLord

                      Jersey Shore Half, Sandy Hook, NJ 10/3/21

                       

                      We got up in time to go to our favorite bagel shop for a carbo-loading breakfast and headed south on the Garden State Parkway, where we soon encountered a thick, heavy fog - so thick that most traffic actually slowed down a bit.  I had some hopes of the fog keeping the sun off us during the race, but as we turned eastward, the sun started rising and burning off the fog.  By the time we got to the parking lot on Sandy Hook, the sun was shining brightly, though we could see there was still a lot of fog on the mainland.  I got my bib & shirt and began my pre-race warmup routine.  About 15 minutes before the 9:00 start (why so late when the sun was up by 7?), I headed over to the start line and found Mike, a member of my team in the RA running game.  About 5 minutes before the start, the organizers had to push everyone back into a dense pack (which is what happens when you have no timing mat or any other indication of where the start line is).

                       

                      Miles 1 - 3  8:36, 8:33, 8:34

                      Mike and I ran together (he's training for the Philadelphia marathon) and were chatting when another runner (Tim), going at our pace, chimed in and joined us.  I was running easily and comfortably, enjoying the company, though I recognized the weather was warm.  It was 66º at the start and the sun was shining brightly.  The race is two unequal loops and this stretch took us on the first northbound leg.  I felt just fine.

                       

                      Miles 4 - 6  8:31, 8:34, 8:34

                      Still running evenly and keeping my target pace.  After the northward leg, we ran around a few blocks to get the extra mileage needed for the race to be 13.1 miles over two loops before heading back south.  About halfway through mile 4, Mike and Tim were running a bit faster and though I like running with people and seem to do better than running alone, I didn't want to up my pace into the 8:20 - 8:25 range to keep up with them, so I fell back and stayed on my pace, though they never really got very far ahead of me during the southbound stretch.

                       

                      Miles 7 - 9  8:41, 8:54, 9:55

                      By mile 7 it was getting more difficult for me to stay on pace.  Still, when I hit the southern turnaround early in mile 8 I felt I was OK and my wife later told me I was looking fine, running upright and comfortably.  After the turn, though, I felt a slight wave of dizziness and eased off a bit, hoping it would pass.  I'd been taking water at every station (and there were plenty of them), as well as drinking from my water bottle (I would eventually drain the whole 16oz bottle), but the warning signs of dehydration were there.  Then,

                      the wheels came off and I had to slow dramatically.  I briefly wondered whether I should stop, but threw that idea away and simply walked to the next water station, stopped to drink some extra water, and resumed running, though much more slowly.

                       

                      Miles 10 - Finish  11:36, 9:09, 13:14, 9:41

                      I continued my slow run, with another stop at the next water station, for mile 10.  The 2:00 pace group caught up with me and I decided to see if they could pull me along, so I fell in with them and maintained their 9:09 pace for a bit more than a mile when,

                      and they pulled away from me as I went back to alternating running and walking.  My water bottle was empty and I'd taken three cups of water at the last station.  I made a push to pick up my pace for the last mile and crossed the line in 2:04:15, almost 9 minutes slower than my pace in the HM I ran back in April.  The temperature in the shade was 75º by then and much hotter on the shade-less road.

                       

                      After meeting my wife & son, I learned that my son had come in 2nd overall in the 2-mile race that set off after the half had begun, and he'd won a free pizza from a local place, so we stopped of there on the way home and he ate 4 slices of "victory pizza" on the drive back, so the day wasn't a total loss.

                      5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 
                      10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)

                      Upcoming races: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27

                       

                      Fredford66


                      Waltons ThreadLord

                        Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Half, 11/7/21

                         

                        My wife and I drove out to Pennsylvania the night before the race and spent the night in a nearby hotel.  I was thus rested and fresh when we met two friends of mine at the finish line so they could ride with us to the starting area of this point to point race.  The forecast temperature for the 8:00 start time was 35º, but it was significantly colder when we got there around 7:00 to pick up our bibs.  During my warmup run, around 7:30, my fingers were cold, my toes were cold, and even my bare ankles were cold.  Between the warmup run and the rising sun, I was able to get to the point of no longer being uncomfortable.  I was dressed in a warm headband, t-shirt, arm sleeves, gloves, and shorts (and socks & shoes, of course).  Knowing there was a large hill climb early on, I spoke with the 1:50 and 1:55 paces for advice and they both responded that they'd be slowing down for the hill and making up the time over the next several miles.

                         

                        Starting Out & The Hill - 9:05, 8:15

                        The race started only a couple minutes late, the chute seeming oddly uncrowded near the front.  The opening part of the course was gently downhill through some twists and turns when suddenly we hit a drop reminiscent of going over the edge on a roller coaster.  Suddenly, everyone was chopping their strides to keep from going out of control down the hill.  I made sure not to pass the 1:50 pacer as a way of keeping myself from going out too fast.  We got to the bottom, were briefly back in a normal stride, and then reached The Hill.  It was steep, then eased off a bit, then steep again, eased off, then steep for a third time.  One wit commented how all the chit-chat in the pack had suddenly ceased as everyone began breathing heavily.  There was almost a palpable group feeling of relief as runners hit the crest of the hill.  There followed shortly another stride-chopping downhill, but when it started flattening out I opened up my stride and let gravity provide an assist.  After two miles, I was running an 8:40 pace.  My A goal was an 8:35 pace while my B goal was 8:40, which would just barely get me a new PR.

                         

                        The Long Middle Section - 8:33, 31, 39, 30, 34, 37, 30, 33, 34

                        We were soon on the D&L trail, a crushed limestone path that followed the right of way of the defunct D&L railroad along the right bank of the Lehigh river.  While not soft like a dirt path or a trail run, the crushed limestone was softer than a paved path and had occasional irregularities in the surface that made it a little harder to run on at times.  This may be why a course that was mostly downhill didn't feel as easy a one would expect a downhill run to be.  I settled in with a small group of runners who seemed to be going around my 8:35 goal pace but they eventually started slowing down, so I had to break off from them.  A woman in an orange outfit made the same choice and we exchanged a few words before she gradually started to pull ahead.  Around mile 7 I saw a runner slow to a walk, then as I got closer, went back to running.  A little while later he started walking again, then went back to running as I passed him.  For a while we ran side by side, but he was wearing earbuds and singing softly so there was no communication between us.  This was not a good arrangement for me as instead of pushing each other to keep up the pace, I found he was often slowing down a bit and was dragging me with him due to some psychological tendency of mine to run with people.  I made the decision to put on a sustained effort to raise the pace and he dropped back.  In the process I passed the woman in orange.  By now I was more than halfway through, the easy part of a half marathon was done and I had to start working to keep up my pace.  The woman in orange and I did another pass-you-pass-me and I went past her again at the mile 10 water station.

                         

                        Crashing but not Burning - 8:50, 8:37, (and 7:52 for the last 0.1)

                        I had gotten through mile 10 in decent shape (it used to be a mental block for me) and was running OK into mile 11, but the effort was not yielding the pace it had previously.  Around this time I pulled down my arm sleeves.  Back in the shady part of the course, around mile 5 one sleeve actually had some frost on it, but now the course was in full sun and I was warming up.  Mile 12 was hard and I was hurting, Mile 13 started at a slow pace too and the woman in orange passed me, as did earbuds guy.  About halfway through the last mile we got to the bridge over the river and the move to a firmer surface (asphalt and concrete) gave me a boost.  Crossing the bridge I passed the woman in orange for the last time and turned onto the final stretch.  At this point the only soft spot in the race organization happened when I almost missed the turn off the road and onto the paved path (one of my friends said he had a similar experience).  Once again, the woman in orange passed me and then I saw my two friends coming back along the course to encourage and escort me to the finish line.  I was able to speed up but didn't feel I had any kick.  One friend was urging me to pick up the pace and pass the woman in orange, but she stayed stubbornly 10 meters or so ahead of me (I have to wonder whether she was also feeling the boost from my escort).  The finish line finally came into view and I saw I was going to be close to a full minute faster than my PR.

                         

                        I crossed the line in 1:52:38, 57 seconds faster than my previous best and got a big hug from DW, who had a tear of joy in her eye.  After recovering my breath, which took a little while, I got my results from the timing tent.  I encountered the woman in orange and we exchanged congratulations on the race.  DW and I went with my two friends to pick up their awards.  One was 5th OA, 1st in his AG and the other 12th OA, 2nd in his AG (I was 157th OA out of 581, 10th in my AG)  We then got our food and headed to the car.  By now, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was comfortably in the mid-40's.  I was more tired than I can remember being after a half and my right calf ached in a way I'd not experienced before, post-race.  I think my years of running halves has paid off in terms of my being able to judge just how much effort to use at each point along the way so that I finish with nothing left in the tank.  It was a great run for me, not just for the PR, but also to attend a race with my two friends and for all three of us to achieve personal bests.

                        5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 
                        10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)

                        Upcoming races: RunAPalooza (Asbury Park) HM, 4/6; Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27